The operation of several coal mines with vast proven reserves on the Navajo reservation is a manifestation of conflict between: a power hungry external world; the preservationist attitudes of traditional Navajo culture; the disadvantaged socio-economic status of the average Navajo wage earner; and the Navajo Nation's long term needs for internal development. The Navajo environment must be considered in terms of the external (non-Indian) demands for expansion and diversification of coal production and the related demands of: meager water supplies; the Navajo's emotional/religious reaction to current and proposed expansion of coal production; the environmental impact of mining activities; and the future needs of the Navajo Nation. Questions pertinent to these conflicts are: (1) To what extent does the non-reservation world depend upon Navajo coal and can these consuming areas survive without expanded production?; (2) What is the meaning of mining to a society which is traditionally not entrepreneurial and what effect does strip mining have upon the Navajo's religion and his sense of place and being?; (3) Can the royalties received from coal production sustain improvements in the Navajo standard of living or should the Navajo tribalize coal production and seek profits as well as royalties? (JC)